Shen Yelan was sitting in the first-class seat of a plane. The black suit she had been wearing was now replaced with an oversized blue sweater that hung loose on her frame, tucked carelessly into faded jeans. Her long hair was pulled back in a ponytail that reached almost to the small of her back. A single lock had escaped, dancing across her cheek with each breath of wind.
She took a sip of the boba tea she'd just bought while she watched stared out of the window. Far in the distance, gray smoke mixed with orange flames rose into the sky. The blinking red and blue lights of fire trucks looked like tiny toys from up here.
She watched it for a few more seconds. Then she looked away like it was not her who was the culparit behind the fire.
Once she finished her drink, she curled up with her legs tucked beneath her. She took out a tablet from her bag.
The screen showed a photo of an abandoned warehouse, plus pictures of a few rough-looking men. In the center was a sketch of a guy in a mask. Shen Yelan stared at that sketch for a long time. Her face gave nothing away. Then she clicked her tongue, swiped it closed, and opened another file.
This time, it was a picture of a couple leaving a fancy hotel. The man looked to be in his sixties and had his one arm wrapped around the waist of a beautiful middle-aged woman. She wore a tight designer dress and had a pearl necklace around her neck.
Shen Yelan zoomed in on the familiar yet unfamiliar face of the woman and stared at it for a long time. Even though the picture, Shen Yelan could see the multiple procedures she had done on her face.
"I look forward to meeting you...," she murmured, the corner of her lips curved upward. "...Mom"
It was a good thing no one could read minds. If they could see what was going through hers right now, half the people on this plane would probably try to parachute out of this plane.
She finally put the tablet away and turned to stare out the window. Clouds stretched out below them, endless and white and peaceful.
After a decade of waiting, it was time to collect the debts
.
.
The plane soon landed. Except for a shoulder bag, Shen Yelan hadn't brought anything else. She grabbed the bag and made her way towards the exit. In her other hand, she was holding her phone, texting someone. Somehow, she never bumped into anyone, even though her eyes were glued to the screen.
After a few moments, she put her phone away. Once she stepped outside, she looked around until her eyes fell on an inconspicuous black car parked at a distance. She started to walk towards it. From her pocket, she took out a car key and unlocked it. She tossed her bag into the back seat and slid behind the wheel.
The car soon drove out of the city and entered the highway. Two hours later, she was driving through an old road with trees on either side and no cars in sight.
Shen Yelan had one hand resting on the open window, fingers drumming lightly against the door. Her other hand held the steering wheel loosely. A lollipop stuck out of her mouth. Some music was playing on the radio.
Suddenly, a small figure jumped out from the trees and stood right in the middle of the road. Shen Yelan's foot slammed on the brake pedal while her other hand yanked the handbrake up. At the same time, she spun the steering wheel hard to the right.
The car skidded, drifting in a perfect half-circle around the small figure who was now frozen and stared at the car that had brushed past him, missing by a few inches.
The car came to a stop in a cloud of dust.
Shen Yelan got out, spitting the lollipop out of her mouth. She looked at the little boy who was standing still, staring back at her. He couldn't have been older than five. His face was streaked with mud and dirt. His eyes were red and puffy, like he'd been crying for a while. His clothes were torn and filthy, but even through the mess, she could tell they were expensive. Both his knees were scraped and bleeding.
Shen Yelan frowned, staring at the boy. Her gaze moved around the location they were at and then back at the boy. This was not a place a child should be alone.
"Are you alright, kiddo?"
The boy blinked at her but didn't say anything. His lower lip trembled. Staring in those big teary eyes, blinking at her, Shen Yelan sighed.
.
.
Ten minutes later, the car was parked at the side of the road near an old gas station. Inside the car, Shen Yelan carefully cleaned the boy's scraped knees with antiseptic wipes from the first aid kit she always carried in her car. The boy flinched but didn't make a sound.
She asked, not looking up from the wound, "What's your name, kid?"
When the boy did not give a response, she tilted her head to look at him. "Don't tell me you don't know your own name?"
The boy shook his head and then pointed at her phone on the dashboard. Shen Yelan frowned slightly and handed him her phone after unlocking it. He typed slowly with tiny fingers, then turned the screen toward her.
Shen Yelan read it and nodded. "Huo Mingzhe?"
He nodded.
"What were you doing there alone?" she asked further, even though she had an answer in her mind. Huo Mingzhe typed on the phone again and then showed her the screen.
"Bad people"
Just as she had expected. Those two words were enough for her to know what the situation was. It was the reason why she had helped this kid, or else, she was not someone who would be kind enough to go around helping people. When she'd seen him standing in the middle of the road, she'd been reminded of the original Shen Yelan. That little girl had been kidnapped too and had later died.
"Do you have someone I can call to come get you?"
Hou Mingzhe immediately started typing again and handed her the phone. On it was a phone number.
She dialed the number.